Chelsea will play against Stoke City at Stamford Bridge in Premier League on Saturday in the 21st round of match . Both teams will be keen to get a win in this match. Chelsea have beaten Brighton and Hove Albion in the previous match with the margin of 2-0. They will be keen to get a win here as they are still behind Manchester United in the League Table by 1 Point and Manchester City are far ahead. The previous season’s Champions will be keen to prove their worth.
On the other hand, Stoke City are coming into this match with a draw against Huddersfield Town in the previous match. They are at 13th position in the League Table with 20 Points in 20 matches so far while their opponent Chelsea have collected 42 points from the same number of matches. Mark Hughes, the Stoke City manager will be keen to get at least one point from this encounter.
Chelsea really need to win this match prior to facing Arsenal next and will try their best to get a positive result at home. If they drop any more points on the night, they might be more or less out of the title race, just like their domestic rivals Arsenal, who have faded away with time.
Manchester City is going all guns blazing and it will be really tough to catch hold of them, unless they really start dropping points and they will be facing Crystal Palace later in the day. Hopefully, Palace can really pull off a miracle and make a difference to the title race.
Team News :
Chelsea :
Andreas Christensen will be available for Chelsea after missing the previous match. David Luiz is unavailable due to knee injury. Thibaut Courtois will start in Chelsea Goal while Christensen, Azpilicueta and Rudiger might start for Chelsea in three man central defense while Moses and Alonso will be there at two flanks for Chelsea. Kante and Fabregas will be there in the midfield for Chelsea. Pedro, Morata and Hazard will be there upfront for Chelsea against Stoke City.
Stoke City :
Ryan Shawcross will be unavailable in defense for Stoke City. Bruno Martins Indi and Kurt Zouma will also not be available. Butland will play in the Stoke City Goal while Edwards, Wimmer, Cameron and Pieters will be in the defense for the Potters. Fletcher, Allen, Shaqiri and Diouf will be there in the midfield for Stoke City while Choupo-Moting and Crouch will be present in the attacking third for Stoke City.
Key Players :
The combination of Alvaro Morata and Eden Hazard will prove to be pivotal for the Blues in this match. Morata is in great form and his scoring in this match will be a key to success for Chelsea. On the other hand, Peter Crouch, the veteran striker will be the key for Stoke City.
Possible Starting Eleven :
Chelsea :(3-4-3)
Goalkeeper : Courtois
Defenders : Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger.
Midfielders : Moses, Kante, Fabregas, Alonso
Attackers : Pedro, Hazard, Morata
Stoke :(4-4-2)
Goalkeeper : Butland.
Defenders : Edwards, Wimmer, Cameron, Pieters.
Midfielders : Fletcher, Allen, Shaqiri, Diouf.
Attackers : Choupo Moting, Crouch.
My Predicted Scoreline :
Chelsea 2-1 Stoke City.
